In April, when the Paramount Chief of Ningo Traditional Area, Nene Osroagbo Djangmah XII, was enstooled, he pledged to unite the various factions and drive development in the area.
A little over six months on, he says Ningo is gradually piecing itself back together after two decades without a chief—a period that stalled progress and even disrupted the sacred Homowo festival.
Speaking to journalists after the sprinkling of Kpokpoi as part of this year’s Homowo celebrations, Nene Djangmah XII said the peace now enjoyed in the town, with previously bitter rivals working together, marks a turning point.
“The existing peace has become a key ingredient to our growth, and we therefore wish to invite everyone to join hands with us to push for the greater good of Ningo,” he told the jubilant crowd.
Despite this new sense of unity, he highlighted pressing challenges facing the community. Chief among them is a severe water shortage that has persisted for five years, forcing many residents to rely on unhygienic streams that are fast drying up. Even those who can afford tanker water, he noted, are feeling the strain.
He appealed to the government to urgently intervene.
He also raised concerns about the stalled community clinic, which remains 70 per cent complete but unusable, and called for its completion.
In addition, he urged authorities to address the deteriorating infrastructure at the town’s secondary school.
During the sprinkling of the Kpokpoi, the chief was joined by Naana Dugbakuor Dugba II, the queen mother of Ningo, as well as elders and spiritual leaders to perform the sacred rites.
Homowo, celebrated by the GaDangme people along Ghana’s coast, commemorates their ancestors’ triumph over famine following a bumper corn harvest.
The traditional dish, Kpokpoi—made from ground corn mixed with palm oil—remains central to the occasion.
